


Mckirk Countdown to Beyond Fills

by SadieYuki



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Academy Era, Academy Shenanigans, Emotional Abuse, Five Year Mission, Gen, Implied Hazing, Implied Past Child Abuse, M/M, Narada Incident, Pranks, Protective Bones, Shellbacking, Wedding Fluff, all in good fun type hazing though, mckirkbeyond, not the bad shit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-14
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-23 22:31:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7482450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadieYuki/pseuds/SadieYuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically my collection of fills for <a href="http://fuckyeahkirk-mccoy.tumblr.com/tagged/mckirkbeyond">fuckyeahkirk-mccoy's</a> Mckirk Beyond Fan Fest, in celebration of Star Trek Beyond coming out in a week! Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 7 Days Left - First Time: Better Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scars are tattoos with better stories, and Jim certainly has some good stories. But Leonard has noticed that some scars have multiple stories, and surely they can't all be true.
> 
> Or, the first time Jim told Bones the truth about his scars.

It was like Jim had a list in his head, a little book of handy excuses ready to go whenever someone asked where the hatched lines on his bicep came from, or the prominent inch on his chin, or the mangled burn on his shoulder blade. Apparently Jim had never had to explain himself more than once, otherwise maybe he would’ve realized that chin scar couldn’t come both from a stray horseshoe and a kicked up rock on the highway. And a wild sexual encounter. And an errant knife juggling lesson.

Jim had never used any of these stories on Leonard, but then Leonard had never asked. He’d only ever been in the area, sharing drinks at the bar while Jim told story after story to classmates, or prepping Jim’s next hypo while he chatted with the nurse on duty.

Leonard had known Jim for almost two years when one night, during a lazy movie and pizza night in their dorm room, he said unprovoked, “My stepfather threw a beer bottle at me once.”

Leonard’s gaze snapped towards Jim, movie forgotten in an instant. Jim was staring at his own cheep beer bottle with an oddly removed look on his face.

“He missed,” Jim added idly, “but the bottle shattered and a stray piece sliced my chin.”

Jim didn’t say anything else, nor did he seem to want Leonard to say anything as he focused his attention back on the movie. Leonard’s gaze lingered on Jim a minute longer, now looking at the scar on his chin in a different light. He’d always been curious about the real stories behind the marks on Jim’s body, but for the first time he found himself dreading those answers.

Instead of saying anything, Leonard just shifted over on the couch until his shoulder was flush with Jim’s in a silent show of support. Leonard knew it was the right move when Jim shifted himself until he was leaning against Leonard’s side, head dipped on his shoulder. The pair didn’t say a word about the topic for the rest of the night.


	2. 6 Days Left - Academy Shenanigans: Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonard still had no idea how Jim had convinced him to take part in this.

Leonard’s not quite sure how he ended up here. Here being the bushes next to Glenn Hall, one of the main dorm buildings on campus.

There was legitimately no reason for Leonard to be here.

As usual, it was Jim’s fault.

Jim had somehow found himself in a feud with a few cadets in their class. A relatively harmless feud, but a feud nonetheless. From the way Jim had been talking about it, Leonard wasn’t even sure these cadets knew they had earned Jim’s ire and declaration of feud, but to be honest, that was probably for the best with what they were about to do.

Leonard still had no idea how Jim had convinced him to take part in this.

It was juvenile, something right out of a college prank book. Actually, to be fair, Jim had mentioned he stole this idea from a friend’s sorority. Leonard reluctantly admitted that the idea was simple yet ingenious. In hundreds of years of technological advancement, there was nothing quite like a glitter bomb attack. And there was no method of delivery more effective than a water balloon.

The reason for the prank? Those cadets Jim claimed to have a beef with were working for Glenn Hall maintenance, and would thus be responsible for cleaning up the glitter fallout.

“You ready, Bones?” Jim said next to him, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he squatted next to him.

“No,” Leonard hissed, readying his own stance for a quick escape. “I hate you.”

“That’s the spirit. Get ready to throw and run on three. One...two--”

“Lord, help me.”

“Three!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sorority in question is my own sorority, we glitter bombed several fraternity houses during my tenure, and water balloons are super effective methods of delivery. Just fill the balloons with glitter with a funnel, then fill with water and tie it up, then launch!


	3. 5 Days Left - Vulcan Rescue Mission: Another Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘James T. Kirk was a great man, but that was another life.’ Jim never thought he would amount to much in his life, but it was another thing entirely to hear how successful he could have been and would never be.

Leonard knocked back another gulp of coffee before resting his head in overwhelmingly sterile-scented hands. He’d gotten out of surgery with Pike only thirty minutes prior and was taking a much needed break in his inherited office. So much had happened so quickly. In the span of a few hours, Vulcan had gone from a population of six billion to just ten thousand, he’d gone from cadet to Lieutenant Commander to Chief Medical Officer of the goddamned flagship...

“Doctor McCoy?”

Leonard started, looking up at the door. Christine Chapel, who had newly inherited her position as Head Nurse in this whole fiasco, poked her head through the door, looking as harried as he felt.

“Yeah, Nurse Chapel?” Leonard grumbled, already working up the energy to address any patient issues he may be hit with. Maybe Pike had experienced a complication--

“The Captain wants to talk to you.”

It was a testament to Leonard’s exhaustion that he didn’t fully understand the implications of that statement. It took far longer than it should have for his mind to remind him that Pike would be unconscious for hours, and so why would Spock want to talk to him...

Oh wait.

 _Jim_ was Captain.

“As a patient or a visitor?” Leonard asked.

Chapel pursed her lips. “He claims to be a visitor, but if you asked for my medical opinion, I’d say he should be a patient. But that’s just me thinking aloud, sir.”

Leonard let out a huff, lips curling upwards slightly. He liked Chapel. She was competent, took no shit, and already knew when Jim was bullshitting about his injuries. “Might as well send him in here, and I’ll force him onto a bed if I need to.”

Chapel snorted and left before Leonard processed the unintentional innuendo.

A moment later, Jim entered the office and promptly collapsed into the nearest chair. He looked exhausted, dark bags and cuts and bruises contrasting sharply against a too-pale face, and a heavy 5 o’clock shadow showing through patches of grease.

Despite his slumped posture, he looked very much like he wanted to say something, yet he was uncharacteristically remaining quiet. For as long as Leonard had known him, if Jim had something to say, he would say it, even if it got him in trouble (which it had several times), so his silence was concerning.

“When was the last time you slept?” Leonard opened with, hoping to get Jim talking.

Jim’s eyes drifted upward. “Uh...how long ago was that campus hearing?” Jim croaked, voice scratchy and hoarse. Spock had definitely done a number on his throat, and Leonard was sure there was damage. “I think I got a nap in before that--”

“Jesus, Jim,” Leonard breathed. It was alarming in itself that Jim was so forthcoming in his physical health or lack thereof, but also just the length of time coupled with everything they’d gone through. “That’s pushing thirty hours, more since a proper sleep. Have you eaten at all?”

Jim averted his gaze again, “About the same as the sleeping situation.”

“You’re working yourself too hard, kid,” Leonard scolded lightly, knowing he’d been putting his engineering skills to use even as he held command. “Even the captain needs to take a break every so often. I can even order you to rest if you need the push.”

“That’s not it, Bones. I haven’t slept at all, but it’s not for lack of trying,” Jim admitted, letting out a long breath. “Spock stuck me in Pike’s room because he probably won’t be leaving here anytime soon. How’s he doing, surgery go alright?”

A deflection if he’d ever heard one, but Leonard went along with it. “No complications, but he had a lot of spinal and nerve damage, he’s got a long road to recovery ahead of him.”

Jim nodded silently, rubbing his face with both palms.

Leonard gave him another considering look. He wondered if he’d be taking advantage of Jim’s impaired state to take a direct approach for once, but ultimately decided it was for the best. “What’s really eating you, kid?” he asked bluntly.

Jim voice was muffled by his hands as he answered, but Leonard still heard, “Do you think I’m a good person? Not like...like as a person, but...do you think I’ll ever be...will be people see me as a good person? As someone who did something good with their life?” Jim’s thoughts were muddled and fractured as he spoke, but there was something raw in his voice.

Despite the direct approach, Leonard was surprised that Jim had been so forthcoming with an answer. “Where’s this coming from?”

Jim chewed on his bottom lip as he looked up, and Leonard noted that his bloodshot eyes looked almost unfocused, as if stuck in a memory. “Nero said something, on his ship.”

Leonard frowned. This was the first time he’d heard anything about what had happened over there, he only knew that Pike had been rescued. Beyond that, his primary focus had been Pike’s surgery (and the dangerous shuddering of the ship as he’d been about to put a laser scalpel to the man). But it hadn’t escaped his notice that Jim had been favoring his midsection as he supported Pike on the transporter pad, and that the bruising on his neck was darker than it had been after the hobgoblin’s treatment. “And what was that?”

“‘James T. Kirk was considered to be a great man. He went on to captain the _USS Enterprise_. But that was another life.’” Jim’s voice faded with the sentence, but Leonard knew that was the part that was getting to him the most.

“So a psychotic Romulan from the future tells you that the Jim Kirk of his history was a great man, and you’re wondering if you can be the same? Jim, I don’t think you want to be living up to the expectations of Nero in the first place--”

“How am I supposed to live up to him?” Jim interrupted, a desperate look on his face now. “I goaded a Vulcan into giving up command by insulting him and his dead mother, that’s how I became Captain of the _Enterprise,_ I probably _earned_ it in Nero’s timeline, and now I’ll probably get dishonorably discharged and sent on my way--”

“Jim, stop.”

Jim’s mouth clicked shut.

Leonard sighed, rubbing his face in his own exhaustion. “I don’t know how your life would’ve gone if Nero didn’t fuck with our lives, and I don’t care,” he said finally, looking back up at Jim. “But I do know you. And I know that this is the life we have to live in and it’s the only one that should matter to us. Who cares what you would’ve done? As far as I’m concerned, that Jim Kirk is a completely different person. I care about _you._ And you’re a good man, Jim.”

Leonard gave Jim a moment as he ‘stealthily’ wiped his face, really just spreading the grease around, but kept his gaze on him so he was ready when Jim looked up, eyes bright as he said, “Thanks, Bones.”


	4. 4 Days Left - Shore Leave: Family Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Leonard could redo the day, he would’ve spent the whole time with Jim. Maybe then he wouldn't have run into that bastard...

Leonard felt like a goddamn idiot. For a couple reasons.

The first one he doesn’t wholly feel is his fault, but he still hates the kicked puppy look Jim had given him when Leonard said he had plans for shore leave. Sure, the two of them never talked about spending the day together, but Leonard should have realized that they’d never had to talk when they spent leave at the Academy together. After that first winter break, it had just been assumed between them.

So maybe Leonard should’ve known that Jim would expect to spend the day together, even if they had never verbalized such plans. But some of the doctors in medical had planned to go to some sporting event—a big deal to the native Flurdins but honestly the rules went way over Leonard's head—and had invited Leonard, and he’d said yes without a second thought.

The second reason he felt like an idiot was that he hadn’t realized how fucking hurt Jim had been until the day was almost over. Sure, Jim’s face had fallen slightly when he’d appeared at Leonard’s door only to be told Leonard had to catch up with Geoff, Rosa, and Nimah to get to the game on time. Jim was a master at hiding his emotions, but Leonard had known Jim for too long to be fooled anymore, and yet in his haste he’d completely ignored the signs.

At the time, he’d thought Jim looked disappointed, but he’d recovered well and said he’d wander the shopping plaza with someone. Leonard should have known how much Jim was hurting.

Leonard bid the others farewell after the game, planning on getting a good non-replicated drink while he thought of how he was gonna make this up to Jim.

The bar he chooses is nothing special, simply the one closest to him when he parted ways with the group. The universe works in mysterious ways however, because the bar ends up being the one Jim has chosen to spend his shore leave in.

Granted, this wasn’t wholly apparent to Leonard when he stepped inside. He looked around the bar, dim-lit, decently furnished, and holding a good crowd for the time of day, and made his way towards the nearest empty chair, but his attention was caught by a raucous laugh from down the row.

The laugh and man associated with it was rough and abrasive, tone sounding mocking and body language exuding an air of superiority and control as he sat fully facing his companion, who sat facing the bar table with his head down. Any other day and Leonard would have left it alone and continued on his way, but the commotion had held his attention long enough for him to notice who the man’s companion was.

He knew that jacket.

Something about the pair made Leonard pause and observe before joining them. He didn’t recognize the man who had laughed, but Leonard was far more concerned by Jim’s posture. Sometimes Jim went to the bar to drink his pain away, but in that case, he usually preferred to be alone (though he’d allow Leonard’s presence), and if anyone tried to chat him up, he’d dismiss them very quickly.

Jim was clearly not enjoying the presence of this older man, and yet he’d done nothing to scare him off yet. Or nothing that Leonard had seen. Usually when assholes didn’t get the message, Jim would deliver it courtesy of his fist, but since taking up his captaincy, he’d done an exceptional job of avoiding public disturbances.

But Jim looked subdued, almost curled in on himself. He wasn’t engaging the other man in conversation, but at the same time, he wasn’t ignoring the man either. He was actively listening to him, making minute movements with his body in response to whatever words were being said as the man continued to speak, an unsettling smirk on his lips.

The whole picture was very wrong and it was time Leonard did something about it.

“This guy bothering you?” Leonard said as he approached the pair, addressing Jim while keeping the other man in the corner of his vision.

Jim spun around so fast Leonard was briefly worried he’d have to treat him for whiplash. The look on his face was something Leonard would never forget, the broken face of a terrified child, but the brief look of relief in his eyes shuttered as the man snorted derisively.

“He’s fine, we’ve just been catching up, isn’t that right, Jimmy?” the man said, and Leonard hated the obedient, almost conditioned, nod that Jim promptly gave. Who was this guy? “Why don’t you run along now, this is a family discussion,” the man continued dismissively, and suddenly it all made sense. This man was Frank Davies, Jim’s stepfather, the bastard responsible for the scar on Jim’s chin and the thousands of emotional scars that lay beneath the skin.

“Then I reckon I should be involved,” Leonard said without missing a beat, and the look Jim gave him both broke and melted his heart. Like hell he was gonna leave Jim alone with this guy any longer.

“I dunno who the fuck y’are, but—”

“I’m the guy who’s gonna pound your face into the ground if you don’t leave in the next five seconds,” Leonard growled, drawing himself up to his full height. He wasn’t a fighter, but he knew he could pull off an intimidating figure if he tried, and he was more than willing to break his oath if it meant protecting Jim.

Frank’s face pinched, unhappy with the threat, but apparently not willing to get into a physical altercation. He stood from his stool, but not before he turned a leer on Jim as he tried to get one last barb. “Found another guard dog, have ya, Jimmy? Sam walked out on ya so you needed to replace him—”

Leonard grabbed Frank’s collar before he knew what he was doing, and his opposite hand cocked back, ready to unload—

“Bones, don’t.”

Leonard stilled, material still caught in his fist as he turned to Jim, who looked at him with an unreadable expression.

“Let’s just go,” Jim continued, averting his gaze as he stood from the bar and started towards the door.

“Runnin’ away, just like your brother—”

Leonard shoved him hard, and Frank stumbled against the bar bench as Leonard turned to catch up with Jim. The bastard wasn't worth the extra effort.

Jim was trembling when Leonard finally caught up with him, and Leonard led him away from the busy streets so they could have some semblance of privacy, finding a quiet bench away from everything.

Leonard wanted to fill the silence with something, maybe ask if Jim was alright, but he knew the answer to that and didn’t think Jim would appreciate being asked such an obvious question—

“Thanks, Bones.”

“I dunno if you should be thanking me, kid,” Leonard muttered. “You’d’ve never been put in that situation if I’d been there, I’m sorry...I should’ve been there today—”

“I shouldn’t have assumed anything without actually talking to you,” Jim interrupted softly. “But I’m glad you found me. I don’t know how long I would’ve sat there if you hadn’t come along,” Jim continued, eyes downcast.

Leonard wanted to ask why Jim wouldn’t just walk away, but he’d treated enough abuse victims to know that it wasn’t so easy to walk away from their abuser. It broke his heart that Jim had had to suffer through Frank’s abuse for however long they’d been there.

“Did you mean what you said?” Jim asked suddenly, still looking at the ground.

“What d’you mean?”

“That you...you’re my family?”

It hurt that Jim even had to ask, but it wasn’t pain directed at Jim. If that asshole at the bar was any indicator, Jim didn’t have a great base of what it meant to be a family. Leonard had long considered Jim to be his family, his best friend, and more, if Leonard was being honest with himself. It was only now that he realized he had never voiced such thoughts, and it was only now that he realized just how much Jim needed to hear it.

Leonard reached for Jim’s hand and waited until Jim brought up his gaze to meet his own, giving his hand a small squeeze when he did so.

“Of course we’re family, Jim.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me turning what should've been a fun and happy prompt into an angst fest...my bad.


	5. 3 Days Left - AU/Crossovers: Bath in a Bottle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bloodbender!Jim AU: Leonard knew that Jim had been monopolizing his water credits. And Leonard badly needed to bathe. So Jim was gonna do it for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve had this bloodbender!Jim AU on the backburner for a while now, and there is a LOT of it in the works. This is only the tip of the iceberg, and really it’s in the middle of a long chain of events. You’ll see the rest eventually ;) There’s no bloodbending in this ficlet, but it’s in the same universe.

Was he using Jim?

Absolutely.

Did he feel guilty about it?

Absolutely not.

It was Jim’s fault in the first place for using up all his water credits. And Leonard knew it was Jim. How many times that month had Jim come to his quarters, complaining that his sonic was broken and could he pretty please with a glass of Bulleit Bourbon on top use his?

Except Jim had not used his sonic shower. He’d used the water one. And Jim may have thought he was being so very clever when he stepped out of Leonard’s bathroom, dry as a desert, but Leonard knew otherwise.

Not that Leonard had known of Jim’s little trick in the Academy, he’d always thought that there was just an error in the system. As Jim had told him. But no, now Leonard knew the truth, and while Jim hadn’t told him about his shower deception, Leonard could certainly infer.

So Jim was going to pay for it.

Leonard knocked on Jim’s door, and the moment Jim answered, Leonard pushed his way into his quarters and thrust the water bottle he’d brought with him towards Jim.

“What’s this for?” Jim asked, giving Leonard a confused look.

“You told me you could bathe using just the water in a bottle,” Leonard said steadily.

“So what, d’you want a show?” Jim grinned, already uncapping the bottle. “Because I just showered but I could stand to take another one--”

“No, you’re gonna shower _me_ using that water voodoo you’ve got.”

“You mean waterbending?” Jim said wryly. “And why am I showering you?’

“Because, you ingrate, I _know_ you’ve been using up my water credits, and I just finished a seven hour surgery, I feel disgusting, and a sonic isn’t gonna cut it,” Leonard growled, and he noted that Jim looked faintly chagrined at being found out.

“Okay, fair,” Jim said, waving his hand idly as a stream of water flowed out of the bottle. Jim had become much more blase about bending in front of him in the last few months, and yet Leonard still marveled at the sight every time. The way Jim controlled water was so beautifully simplistic that sometimes Leonard forgot that Jim had the ability to freeze a tidal wave.

“Assume the position, Bones,” Jim smirked, a loop of water spinning around his hand now.

Leonard threw his soiled shirt right into Jim’s sputtering face.


	6. 2 Days Left - Five Year Mission: Shellbacking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the time honored tradition of every sailor, everyone who crosses the Equator must undergo the Shellbacking Ceremony. With the expansion of space travel, Shellbacking has evolved into a right of passage for a sailor’s first trip beyond the Sol System. The USS Enterprise crew is about to undergo this ritual. Leonard is not happy. Leonard is going to murder Jim when this is all over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So [Shellbacking](https://www.veteransunited.com/network/the-navys-line-crossing-ceremony-revealed/) is a real thing that many Navy’s do throughout the world, so I thought it would be an interesting concept to bring to Star Trek. Jim has likely already been Shellbacked while out on a training mission during the Academy, so he is of course going to get the honor of being King Neptune, being the captain and all. Bones, on the otherhand, is merely a Pollywog (someone who hasn’t been Shellbacked yet) and will be undergoing the Ceremony...

“Kneel before Neptunus Rex, Pollywog McCoy,” the Royal Judge, Lieutenant Commander Giotto called, and Leonard trudged forward and got to one knee, giving the ‘King’ his most terrifying glare. It might have worked if Jim wasn’t so goddamn smug in his position.

“Pollywog McCoy,” Jim began in a booming voice, dressed head to toe in ‘royal’ regalia, “you have been called before the Court for a heinous transgression! You are accused of injecting yourself with grumpiness--”

“What the fuck--?”

 _“Silence!”_ Jim boomed, and Leonard made a mental note to up the amount of hypos Jim would ‘need’ at his next physical. “Injecting yourself with grumpiness with the sole intention of scaring those around you. The Court finds you guilty of your charge, and I sentence you to wearing a sign of cheer and merriment for the rest of the proceedings. Davy Jones, if you would.”

Jim beckoned to the side, where Uhura, clad in classic Davy Jones attire appeared with a folded set of--

“I’m not wearing a fucking _jester_ outfit,” Leonard hissed, and Jim only smirked before falling back into character.

“You _will_ wear your sentence, or else face an extra five laps through the dreaded Space Bath!”

Thinking of the crap that was likely going to be thrown into said bath, Leonard decided the jester outfit was definitely the safest bet. But Jim would certainly have hell to pay when this was all said and done.

“Now dance for the Court, Pollywog!”

Never mind the hypos, Leonard was going to murder him.


	7. 1 Day Left - To Infinity & Beyond: You've Got a Friend in Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At first Leonard was wary of letting Jim pick the the song for their first dance, but really, he couldn’t have picked a better one if he tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Lyrics from Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me")

Leonard never thought he’d be doing this again. The falling in love thing. The relationship thing.

The wedding thing.

Throughout the planning process, Leonard had been adamant about not wanting to get overly worked up about anything. He wanted to enjoy this. He wanted to enjoy the man who’d be standing by his side for the rest of his life, the man who had been standing by him since the day they met.

Even so, when Jim said he had the perfect song in mind for their first dance together but he wanted it to be a surprise, Leonard was weary. Jim had an... _interesting_ taste in music, and he was worried he’d end up dancing to some Beast Boys tune _(“Beastie Boys, Bones! And shut up, they’re amazing")_.

But really, when it came to the two of them, Jim had never let him down.

So he really shouldn’t have been surprised by the song Jim picked.

**You’ve got a friend in me**  
**You’ve got a friend in me**  
**When the road looks rough ahead**  
**And you're miles and miles**  
**From your nice warm bed**  
**You just remember what your old pal said**  
**Boy, you've got a friend in me**  
**Yeah, you've got a friend in me**

It was perfect.

It was _them._

**You've got a friend in me**  
**You've got a friend in me**  
**If you've got troubles, I've got 'em too**  
**There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you**  
**We stick together and can see it through**  
**Cause you've got a friend in me**  
**You've got a friend in me**

“So what d'you think?” Jim asked, cheery voice hiding a touch of insecurity as they moved together along the dance floor.

“It’s perfect, Jim,” Leonard said earnestly. _“You’re_ perfect.”

“I _am_ perfect.”

“You’re the worst.”

“You love me.”

“Yeah, I do.”

**But none of them will ever love you  
The way I do, it's me and you**

**Boy, and as the years go by**  
**Our friendship will never die**  
**You're gonna see it's our destiny**  
**You've got a friend in me**  
**You've got a friend in me**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo! I actually completed all the prompts!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
